GENNARO CONTALDO'S FAVOURITE PARMIGIANO REGGIANO PDO RECIPES

Back in March we were lucky enough to hold a captivating talk by the renowned Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo at Westminster Kingsway College, where he delved into the wonders of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Off the back of that event, Gennaro has put together three very special recipes for you lot, the Countertalk community.

Each one showcases the distinct flavours of the celebrated ‘King of Cheeses’, bringing the incredible versatility of this brilliant ingredient to the fore. From a hearty beef involtini to a rustic green vegetable pie, and finally, delicate Parmigiano Reggiano PDO gnocchi - dive right into these incredible creations, shared by one of Italy's most beloved chefs.

Involtini di carne al ragu

Filled Beef Roll Slow-cooked in Tomato Ragu

Serves 4

24 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

Ingredients:

8 small thin beef steaks for frying

25g Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, freshly grated and extra for sprinkling

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Handful of fresh flat parsley, torn

1 tbsp of pine kernels

1 tbsp raisins

Salt and black pepper

400g large rigatoni pasta

Green salad leaves, to serve

Toothpicks or kitchen string

For the sauce:

4 tbsp olive oil

100ml red wine

1 onion, very finely chopped

1 celery stick, very finely chopped

1 carrot, very finely chopped

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp of tomato purée, diluted in 300ml of lukewarm water

Handful of fresh basil, torn

Arrange the slices of meat on a chopping board or a clean work surface and flatten the steaks with a meat tenderiser (if you don’t have one, place a flat wooden spatula over the meat and bash with the palm of your hand.) Season each with salt and pepper, sprinkle with garlic, pine kernels, raisins, grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and parsley. Roll each slice tightly and secure well with toothpicks or with kitchen string.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When hot, lower the heat, add the meat rolls and seal well on all sides. Increase the heat, add the red wine and simmer until reduced by half. Remove the meat and set aside.

Add the onions, celery and carrots to the pan and stir well. Cook until the remainder of the wine has nearly evaporated, then put the meat back into the pan, and pour over the diluted tomato purée and the chopped tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add the fresh basil, stir well, lower the heat, partially cover the lid and cook for 1.5/2 hours. Stir from time to time and check for seasoning.

Towards the end of cooking time, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni until “al dente.” Serve the tomato sauce with the cooked rigatoni and sprinkle over grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Then serve the meat rolls as a main course with a green salad.

Gennaro says: “This traditional Southern Italian recipe takes me back to my childhood days when we would often enjoy a dish like this for Sunday lunch or feast days with all the family. I have used beef in this recipe, but you can also use pork or lamb. Thinly sliced pieces of meat are filled with Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, parsley, garlic, pine kernels and sultanas and slow-cooked in tomatoes, resulting in a rich sauce which can be used to dress pasta as a first course followed by the meat involtini as a main course.”

Erbazzone

Green Vegetable Pie

Serves 6-8

24 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

400g plain flour

8g salt

30ml extra virgin oil

200ml water

For the filling:

40ml extra virgin oil, and extra for brushing

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

100g pancetta, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

750g swiss chard, roughly chopped including stems

150g grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 x 28cm round tart tin lightly greased with extra virgin oil

To make the pastry, combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, add extra virgin olive oil and water and work into a smooth pastry. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest while you make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 180C fan.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan, add garlic and pancetta and sweat for a couple of minutes. Stir in the onion and sweat for about 4 minutes until softened. Stir in the swiss chard, a little salt and pepper to taste and cook on a medium to low heat for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, drain off the excess liquid and stir in 100g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO.

Divide the pastry in half, one slightly bigger. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the bigger piece and line the prepared tin. Fill with the chard filling and sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Roll out the other piece of pastry, place over the top, close and crimp the edges. Prick all over with a fork, brush with a little extra virgin olive oil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until lightly golden.

Gennaro says: “This rustic pie from Emilia Romagna has humble origins and was made to use local seasonal greens of the area as well as some local cheese. My version uses swiss chard but you could use spinach and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano PDO for a flavoursome pie.”

Gnocchi di Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO Gnocchi

Serves 6-8

24 month aged Parmigiano Reggiano PDO

Ingredients:

450ml water

30g butter

A pinch of salt

300g 00 flour

3 egg yolks

160g grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO and extra for serving

For the tomato sauce:

2 tbsp extra virgin oil

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Salt, to taste

A few basil leaves, roughly torn

Place water, butter and salt in a medium-sized non-stick saucepan, bring to the boil, then gradually mix in the flour using a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and keep mixing and beating until the mixture comes off the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Then add a little of the grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, an egg yolk and mix well. Continue this way until you have added all the yolks and cheese. When all well incorporated, place the mixture onto a work surface and gently work into a smooth dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and sweat on a medium heat for a minute. Add the tomatoes with about ½ can of water, a little salt to taste, basil leaves and cook on a medium to low heat partially covered with a lid for about 25 minutes.

Cut the dough into small pieces, take each piece and roll out into a long thin sausage and cut out small gnocchi shapes about 2.5/3 cm in length. Using a grater or zester, press the gnocchi lightly against it to get the classic ‘gnocchi’ indentations or do this using a fork.

Place a large pot of salted water on the heat to boil, drop in the gnocchi and cook until they rise to the top, then scoop up with a slotted spoon and place onto a serving dish or individual bowls and top with some of the tomato sauce. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO.

Gennaro says: “If you like gnocchi, then you will love this soft pillowly variety made with grated Parmigiano Reggiano PDO. Simply made with flour, water, cheese and egg yolks, they are a delight. They are so soft, you have to be careful when handling them once cooked, so the best way of combining with the sauce is to have a layer of gnocchi topped with a little sauce and so on and avoid mixing with a spoon.”